WARNING: The following manga discussed in this review is intended for readers 18 & older.

The more I read Mujina into the Deep, the more in awe I become of Inio Asano’s visual style. There’s this perfect blend of realism and cartoonish craziness that the author behind Goodnight Punpun and Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction puts into every frame of his work. But even with amazing visuals, what matters most is the story that the pictures are conveying. Fortunately, as the fourth volume of Mujina into the Deep proves, Asano is one hell of a storyteller.

Ubume’s past has been kept hidden since the first volume, as she has no idea how she found herself in the world of mujinas. But as the nights go on, her brain starts leaking info into her dreams about where she comes from. Mind you, the dreams are still cryptic, especially when it involves a person in a tanuki costume covered in blood. However, some research into the scenario points Ubume towards an interesting lead.

This lead has plenty to do with the higher-ups in the world. The 1% that hoards half of the world’s money and takes advantage of those who’d throw away their human rights for a taste of the nectar. After Terumi is injured by the folks who tried to take advantage of Juno, Ubume aims to slaughter them all. Her handler Ruriha rejects the offer, until Oki and Junko (?!?) pay her the big bucks to make it an official job.

It’s after this where Mujina into the Deep treats readers to the best nightclub fight scene since John Wick: Chapter Four. At first, Ubume goes up against Hanzaki, a mujina newbie who has plenty to fight for besides the desire for cash. It’s a quick match, with a nice twist added towards the end of the episode. However, where it really gets fun is when Ubume takes down the targets in a fight that involves katanas, hackers, and…a chimp? Yeah, the last bit is a tad weird, but entertaining nonetheless.

Speaking of entertaining, I really like how Ubume and Junko become frienemies. While they may have to fight one another if they’re on the opposite sides of a job, watching them talk over noodles and even be blunt about what goes on in the entertainment world makes me hope that their odd buddy/buddy relationship may trump a mission. Then again, this is Inio Asano we’re talking about, a writer with the knack for pulling the rug right under their readers.

That rug is tugged very nicely when Special Safety Bureau officer Yuhang Lin chats with a smiling stranger on an abandoned island. They talk about “The Happy Club Case”, a massacre that was buried by the police and the press. And right in the middle of it all is Ubume and the odd-looking tanuki that she keeps running into in her dreams. What the tanuki represents is a tad clichéd, but given the situation that Ubume’s in, it feels like it couldn’t be anything but that.

Asano has a true knack for both telling and showing his stories. Mujina into the Deep continues his trend of tying together beautiful visuals and unique storytelling into one tight-knit package. Volume Four only now is diving into Ubume’s past, and it seems like it could be a key toward toppling the current human rights conundrum that’s got the world falling into line. Thankfully, if this manga has taught us anything, it’s that mujina walk their own path and make their own rules, even if society sneers at their existence.

Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.